Gladiolus plant named &#39;Festiva&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct gladiolus variety, designated ‘Festiva’, is shown and described. Compared to the ‘Spic and Span’ variety, the ‘Festiva’ variety is 15 cm taller, has 2 to 3 more florets, a larger bloom diameter, and a similar resistance to foliar diseases.

[0001] The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of aGladiolus plant referred to by the variety name ‘Festiva.’

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

[0002]FIG. 1 is a photograph of a ‘Festiva’ variety plant in bloom.

[0003]FIGS. 2 and 3 are photographs of the ‘Festiva’ variety plant priorto blooming.

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION

[0004] The new variety was originated by the Applicant in a controlledproprietary breeding program in Ft. Myers, Fla. wherein selectedgladiolus varieties were crossed. (The provisional breeder's designation“28-3” was used in a related application for a Community plant varietyright filed earlier in the European Union Community Plant VarietyOffice). The female parent was a gladiolus variety named ‘Dr. Magee,’characterized in part by having a small pink bloom, a short stem havinga short flower head, and high resistance to Fusarium fungi species. Themale parent was a salmon pink gladiolus variety named ‘Jennie Lee,’ anunpatented, released variety (by Jennie Lee Zipperer), characterized inpart by having a long stem, long head, and high floret count (i.e. 18-20florets). The seeds were planted in Ft. Myers, Fla., and the selectionof ‘Festiva’ variety was made in Spring 1988. Asexual reproduction ofthe ‘Festiva’ variety was achieved by collecting cormels from the firstcorm. All subsequent asexual reproductions of the ‘Festiva’ varietyremain true to the original variety type.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

[0005] The accompanying color photograph (FIG. 1) shows theinflorescence and various stages of blooming of the ‘Festiva’ varietyplant.

[0006] The bud size of the ‘Festiva’ variety is about 7.5 cm in length.The flowers of the variety each consist of a total of six petals.Specifically, each bloom consists of three large petals oriented on thetop part of the bloom, one medium-size petal oriented on the lower halfof the bloom (at about 6:00), and 2 smaller-size petals also oriented onthe lower part of the bloom. Instead of one medium- and two small-sizepetals on the lower half of the bloom, some spikes of the presentvariety exhibit two medium- and one smallsize petal on the lower half ofthe bloom. The orientation of three upper large petals as well as thecolor and distinctive markings on all six petals are consistent,however, among subsequent asexual reproductions. The diameter of theentire bloom is about 13 cm.

[0007] The color of the corolla bloom is purple/red deep within thethroat of the bloom, followed by a pink orange color mid-throat with alight pink color extending throughout the rest of the bloom. Themedium-size petal(s) has a splash of white color in the center and eachof the smaller petals has a splash of yellow in the center. All sixpetals have a white line bisecting the petal lengthwise.

[0008] The spike of the plant is about 118 cm and comprises 17 floretswhen grown from #2 size corms (1.25 to 1.50 inches) in Ecuador. The headlength is 48 cm. It should be noted, however, that various factors willaffect spike length, including temperature (larger spikes occur incooler weather), irrigation, light intensity, fertilization, soil type(larger spikes occur in heavy soils versus sandy soil), and bulb size(larger bulbs result in larger spikes). The pistils of the flower arewhite, and the stamens are purple/red.

[0009] The leaf color of the ‘Festiva’ variety is green. The leaf sizeis about 63 cm (length) by 3.5 cm (width).

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

[0010] Compared to the gladiolus variety ‘Spic and Span,’ the ‘Festiva’variety is about 15 cm taller, has 2 to 3 more florets, has a bloomdiameter that is about 2 to 3 cm larger, and a similar resistance tofoliar diseases (i.e. medium resistance to Fusarium and good resistanceto Curvalaria). The time to harvest is similar to the ‘Advance’ variety(i.e. about 85 to 86 days). The ‘Festiva’ variety has performed wellwhen grown during fall, winter, and spring months in Ecuador. Growth isgood during short days as well as in cold weather. The variety showsgood resistance to burning in hot weather.

[0011] The variety opens well after traveling up to seven days in a drybox, and can hold up to six florets open simultaneously in a vase ofwater.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct gladiolus variety ‘Festiva’, as shown anddescribed herein.